Chosen
by DottoraL'Artista
Summary: Let's pretend that the Lambda Incident didn't happen. Chell lives in a small town in Michigan, and now GLaDOS needs her help. *WARNING:CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM PORTAL 2!*
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Prologue: It's been a long time...**

* * *

><p>Ten Years. Ten years since GLaDOS and Caroline had freed her from the Aperture building. Ten years since Chell walked away from the tin-roofed shack with her faithful Companion Cube on her back. Now she was going back.<p>

Chell knew that GLaDOS had been monitoring her since she stepped foot in the small town in nowhere Michigan. People didn't question the slight, mute woman that showed up in town one day wearing strange boots and carrying a metal box with a heart on it. No one thought anything strange about her.

* * *

><p>The morning of the tenth anniversary of her release from Aperture Science Chell received an email from *senderblocked.* Some subroutine, deep within GLaDOS' operating system, had sent out a distress call to the only person that could help.<p>

* * *

><p>::T0 CH3LL::<p>

::FR0M GLaDOS::

::H3LP. C0RUPT PR0GR4M 1NT3RN4L1Z3D. TH3 V1RU5 5PR3D THR0UGH MY 5Y5T3M L1K3 N3R0T0X1N THR0UGH Y0UR5. C0M3 QU1CKLY::

* * *

><p>After reading the distress call from the supercomputer, Chell immediately set out for the Aperture Science Enrichment Center.<p>

* * *

><p>Chell walked across the field of yellow grass, wondering what had changed in the ten years that she had not been present in the testing facility. Once she had walked to the Enrichment Center's parking lot to see what she could. The pieces of GLaDOS 3.11 had been dragged away by the Party Escort Bot. The pavement was even more cracked and broken than Chell's glimpse of it the one time she had been outside of the Enrichment Center before being released.<p>

Even though Chell knew that her Companion Cube was not sentient as GLaDOS had claimed, the metal box seemed to quiver on her back as she approached the shack that stood century over one of the three existing elevator shafts into the Aperture facilities. When she took the Cube off her back to open the door, she saw that the Companion Cube start to shake and vibrate. Whatever electronic mechanism powered the Cube was reacting to the virus that was coursing through the wires of GLaDOS and everything that she controlled.

The Cube shuddered once more and a deeper version of GLaDOS' voice emitted out of an unseen speaker within the cube, "Virus detected. Shutdown imminent. Must install new OS to eliminate virus."

* * *

><p>Chell patted the Cube comfortingly, pulled open the door to the shack, and looked down the elevator shaft.<p>

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Look at me still talking when there's science to do!

* * *

><p>The familiar clang of Long Fall Boot springs on metal and the soft clink of the Companion Cube landing beside her sent Chell back to the times when she was trapped in this building. She relived some of the more terrifying moments for years in nightmares, but this emotion that she was feeling now was different. She was glad that she was back. Aperture Laboratories had been her home for years and she felt a pang of homesickness as she climbed up the elevator shaft to an opening above her head.<p>

The facility looked better than when she had awoken from stasis ten years ago. GLaDOS had fixed all of the vines and broken panels. Chell walked up to the door which slid open just as smoothly as it had when she first woke up in the Relaxation Vault to begin her first journey through Aperture Science. The sight that greeted her when the door opened all of the way shocked her. A man was there, sitting on a Storage Cube, examining a broken robot.

"Well hello there, Chell. We have been observing you for quite some time. You have tested remarkably," the man said. Chell motioned to him that she could not speak. The man nodded and continued to speak, "You see, this poor little robot has been infected by a virus. It will stay shut down until the virus is irradiated. Go to GLaDOS' chamber and talk to her. She knows what to do better than I do, even though I built her. She has evolved…"

The man looked up to the ceiling, remembering some event that occurred long ago. The look on his face was sad, but happy too, like the look that a parent wears when sending their children off to college. He finally composed himself and turned back to Chell and said, "Well, I digress. You should get going. I was never one for the test chambers. I watched you defeat the Neanderthal Core, and that first test he made was better than I could do. You walked into the room and the Weighted Storage Cube was already sitting on the 1500 Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button and the door was open. Oh, look, I'm rambling again. Get going before I start talking again. Good luck!"

Chell walked to the door, noting that all of the Emancipation Grilles that she had encountered had been turned off, because of the virus. This was convenient, as she did not want her Companion Cube emancipated. She was about to step though the sliding door when the man ran back up to her crying, "Wait! You'll need this!" He stepped up to her and handed her a dual portal gun. She nodded her thanks and smiled, showing her teeth. The man smiled back and waved as she jumped down the elevator shaft.

* * *

><p>Chell climbed over another ledge into a test chamber. She had been through this one before. The Arial Faith Plates hummed to life when she stepped into the room. This test chamber was easy to solve. Chell stepped on to the Arial Faith Plate and it catapulted her through the air, only to have her land on another, and another until she soared through the air to land on a tilted wall panel. She put an orange portal on it and a blue portal on the wall where she just came from. She stepped through the orange portal and moved the blue portal to another tilted wall panel a few feet away from the first. Now she could navigate through the test chamber and bring her Companion Cube as well. She grabbed the cube and jumped back onto the Arial Faith Plate, flying through the air and into the orange portal. She came out of the blue portal and landed on another Arial Faith Plate which launched her onto a platform that led to a door. She set her Companion Cube down and fired another blue portal to a spot on the celling where a Storage Cube could be dropped on a Super Button.<p>

Chell walked up to the button that would dispense the Storage Cube for her and pushed it. Everything worked as perfectly as she remembered it had, but when she approached the door leading to the elevator shaft, Chell heard a familiar voice crackle from a speaker, _::This is Cave Johnson, and, in the event of catastrophic systems failure due to virus infection of the GLaDOS system, a new GLaDOS operating system needs to be installed. Of course, we haven't actually gotten the GLaDOS operating system to work yet, but when we do, we need a backup just in case.::_

Chell listened to the message and wondered if Cave had known that Caroline would become the GLaDOS system at the time he recorded that message. As she continued to test through the chambers to get to GLaDOS, she heard more and more pre-recorded messages from the founder of Aperture Science.

* * *

><p><em>::Caroline, what's the report on the GLaDOS system? Any of the hobo's psyches take yet?::<em>

_::No, Mr. Johnson. Although, we did come close with a woman, but, as you know, women don't usually enroll in the Testing Program.::_

_::Alright. Keep trying. Good work, Caroline.::_

* * *

><p>The closer that Chell got to GLaDOS' chamber, the more descriptive the messages became;<p>

_::Congratulations, test subject! You are one of the first to make it out of the procedure without your brain melting! Well, your brain didn't melt, but you are a corpse now… Don't worry about that. I've got the lab boys working on our Reanimated the Dead program. Should be up and running in about twenty years. We'll vitrify your body, and see what happens. Good luck.::_

* * *

><p><em>::Caroline *cough*are you ready for the procedure?::<em>

_::Mr. Johnson, I've told you time and time again that I don't want to do this. I'm not qualified to run the company, whether it's me in this body or me in the GLaDOS system.::_

_::Nonsense, *cough* Caroline. Get in that chair.::_

_::Mr. Johnson, please…::_

_::Initiating transfer of Genetic *cough* Lifeform to GLaDOS. __See you *cough* on the other side, Caroline.::_

_::Mr. Johnson… uh, Cave…::_

_::Ye-cough-ah?::_

_::I love you. Thank you. For everything.::_

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chell had been listening to Cave Johnson's prerecorded messages while progressing through the old chambers that GLaDOS had made her test through time and time again. When the last message ended, she found herself in test chamber 17/19. This was the chamber where she thought that her faithful Companion Cube had died. But GLaDOS made an error; _"All Aperture technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin." _Her Cube was saved by the low temperature of the fire in the Incinerator.

Chell stepped into the test chamber and saw a scruffy looking man sitting by a Companion Cube murmuring to it, "Any time now, any time. She'll be here soon. Don't you worry one bit. She's just around the corner, I swear. Oh look, there she is."

The man turned to Chell and addressed her directly, "I'm so glad you're here. It was almost better when she was gunning for us, wasn't it? Now it's just silent. Even my Cube is getting quieter. Does yours talk to you anymore?"

Chell shook her head to indicate her lack of speech. She gestured to her Companion Cube and shook her head again. The man stood up. He was hunched over from years of crawling through tunnels and carrying his Cube around on his back. He came over to her and put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I've been watching you. Each time you triumphed over her was amazing. I would never have dreamed that you would beat her so soundly every time you tried. I knew that when I saw your file and it said 'stubborn' that I had made the right choice. I couldn't have chosen a better revolutionary."

The man awkwardly embraced her and stood back, looking at her. He smiled and started talking again, "It was just so amazing the first time she exploded. You have done such a great job. Now she isn't out to kill me anymore, living in her is almost peaceful, but however far away I was from the test chamber in use by the robots, I could still hear the explosions every time they failed."

Chell and the scruffy man stood looking at each other awkwardly for a moment, when the man smacked himself in the forehead and said, "Where are my manors? I'm Doug Rattmann, nice to meet you. My Companion Cube says hello too. I see you have one of your own."

Chell smiled at him and then nodded to the Cube. She pointed to the door that was jammed open and then pointed to him. Rattmann looked confused for a minute, but then laughed and smacked himself again. "I forgot! Brain damage! I'm very sorry dear, but putting the Intelligence Dampening Sphere in charge of all of you was a stupid idea."

Chell rolled her eyes and nodded. She pointed to the door again, but Rattmann shook his head. "No, Chell. Go ahead and leave. I think I _prefer_ to stay inside." She look at him and shrugged. Chell gestured to her Cube and back to Rattmann, to show that she was giving it to him. He smiled, "Go on. I'll take good care of her." Chell smiled and walked through the door to the elevator shaft.


	4. Chapter 4

Chell came to the walkway that lead to GLaDOS's chamber. She walked down the hall, looking through the windows at the facility around her. The numerous rooms that could be moved around on rails sagged in their harnesses, laden with virus. Chell sighed and walked further down the hallway. When she arrived at GLaDOS's chamber, the AI's chassis perked up minutely, but drooped very soon after.

GLaDOS sighed and said, _::Well. __You __made __it. __I__'__m __dying. __Let__'__s __get __this __over __with __shall __we? __Since __you __can__'__t __speak, __I__'__ll __do __the __talking. __My __OS __needs __a __new __human __personality __to __purge __the __virus __from __my __system. __You __are __the __only __person __that __can __take __my __place. __So. __What __do __you __say, __Chell?::_

Chell started. On her entire journey through dilapidated Aperture Science, she had never once thought that she would be the one to take Caroline's place in the GLaDOS system. She slumped, letting the Portal Gun drop to the floor. She dropped to the floor, landing on her knees. Did she really want to spend the entire rest of her life inside of a computer? She had met a nice guy at her support group, but the thing with Rick was nothing serious. She could always get him to come to aperture as a test subject…

She started again. Chell realized that she was already thinking like the AI, after spending so much time with her. She looked up at GLaDOS's dilapidated frame and sighed. This decision was easier than she had first thought.

"CHELL!"

The woman looked up when she heard her name. She saw Rattmann running after her holding both Companion Cubes. He dropped one and tripped over it, the other one flying off in front of him and skidding to a halt right next to Chell. She looked at its bright pink heart, it looking back comfortingly at her. She smiled and patted the cube.

"Chell – huh – wait. – huh – Think this – huh – through," Rattmann said after getting up and brushing himself off.

Chell nodded and opened her mouth. She tried to talk but all that came out was, "aahr." Rattmann frowned. He came over and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry hun. You'll make the right decision for you," he smiled, encouragingly.

_::Um. Hello? I'm still here you know.::_

Rattmann sighed, "GLaDOS, let me have a moment with her."

_::Whatever. Just hurry it up. I don't have all day.::_

Chell smiled at Rattmann and gave him a hug. He smiled back and said, "Go on, sweetheart."

_::UHHHHHHGGG. Have you made your decision yet, Chell?::_

She looked at the AI and nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

"This is where the first procedure took place… oh…" Rattmann said as he led Chell into a medieval looking examining room. Chell gave him a questioning look. He smiled sheepishly, "Well, Cave Johnson wasn't the epitome of safety conscious men. But I'm sure it's fine. He wouldn't have done anything to deliberately hurt Caroline."

Chell sighed and walked over to the operating table. She saw the tanks or anesthesia sitting beside the table. The instruments beside them looked painful. In fact, they looked like something a movie she'd seen.

_::Cave Johnson here! So, we're getting ready to test the GLaDOS system, and I think we've finally found a match, don't you Caroline?::_

_::Yes sir, Mr. Johnson!::_

_=Mr. Johnson? We're ready!=_

_::Good work, Wachowski. Where's your brother? He should be here, or he's fired. Caroline, remind me to fire anyone who doesn't come in to work tomorrow.::_

_::But Mr. Johnson, tomorrow's the weekend. It's only you, me, and James here tomorrow.::_

_::Why does that moron come in every day anyways? Didn't I threaten to fire him if he kept coming into work?::_

_-Hello!-_

_::JAMES WHEATLEY. OUT.::_

_-Yes, sir.-_

_::Sigh. Are we ready to start the procedure, Wachowski?::_

_=Yes, sir. I'll just insert this into the drilled—=_

"Oh… Um… I'm sorry you had to hear that, Chell…" Rattmann trailed off. Chell forced a smile and sat on the operation table. She pointed to the tanks of anesthesia to show that she was ready. Rattmann sighed again. "Ok. Just close your eyes and relax. I'll see you on the other side."

Rattmann picked up a razor and shaved the woman's head. She was still beautiful, even without her brown hair framing her exotic face. He took a scalpel and cut a small insicion at the base of Chell's skull and swapped his current tool with a syringe. The serum in the needle was specially designed by Cave Johnson to work with the subject's hormones to make the brain susceptible to transplant. Rattmann injected all of the serum into Chell's body and waited. Although she was still under the influence of the anesthesia, her body jerked and her skin darkened as the drug took over her system and shut down all parts that would be unnecessary.

_::You know, it's kind of sad watching her die.::_

Rattmann looked up. A red eye on the wall looked at him and drooped.

_::All those years ago, when I told her I wanted her to leave? That was a lie. She was my best friend.::_

He turned away from the camera and back to the dying Chell. She had stopped moving, but her eyelids flickered. Rattmann had minutes to transfer her psyche before her brain died along with the rest of her body. He grabbed a headjack from the table and drove it into the scalpel incision at the back of Chell's head.


	6. Chapter 6

Chell's eye's flickered open. There were the two Companion Cubes; there was Rattmann, looking more and more distraught, and there was what looked like the Space core sitting on one of the Cubes. She looked back at Rattmann, who was now fiddling with a console on one side of the room. She tried to walk over to him, but found that she could not move.

Rattmann heard the whirr of servo motors and glanced over his shoulder. He smiled at the newly reconstructed chassis and said, "Wake up, Chell! The transfer was a success!" The GLaDOS chassis whirled around to face him, over shooting her target and spinning around twice before she came to rest her eye on the scientist. He walked over to her and patted her Core. Chell's new body sagged. She had no way to communicate to the man that she wanted to know what happened to Caroline when she was transferred. She sighed, and heard the slightly robotic sound emit from a speaker somewhere.

"Chell, try talking, honey," Rattmann said, and smiled. Her chassis perked up a bit.

_::Hello...::_ Chell tried out her new voice. _::What... Happened... To... Caroline...?::_ She asked.

_-Hello, Chell!-_ the yellow core on top of the Companion Cube piped up.

"I was able to transfer Caroline's consciousness into a core without the bugs of the GLaDOS system. She's now the 'Forgiveness Core,' You are in GLaDOS 4.0, Chell," Rattmann said.

_-How do you feel, Chell?-_ Forgiveness asked.

Chell looked around, spinning her new chassis around to survey the room. Wheatley was correct, she really could see the entire facility. It seemed that Rattmann had updated her cameras as well as the OS and she could even see all the way down to the bottom of the salt mines. She zoomed her camera in on a portrait of Caroline in Cave Johnson's office. The woman looked sad, Chell surmised that this was painted directly before the time that Caroline was put into GLaDOS.

Chell sighed again at the fate of the woman and directed her main camera at the Forgiveness core sitting on the Companion Cube. She said,_ ::I am sorry that you were forced into becoming an AI. You are very brave, Caroline.::_

_-I could say the same about you, Chell,-_ the core said. -_I'm still alive, after all. What do you think of the new body?-_

Chell considered for a moment before speaking, _::Well. I can finally speak. This is nice, finally being able to communicate.::_


End file.
